New to Small Mtn Streams

[Wulff-Man]

I have subdued line colors on all but my small stream rod, which has a bright lime green color. I used to have problems following my line on back casts and such in bushy areas so I got a bright one so I could see it better and avoid getting snagged in the bushes. Like Sal said, the fish normally don't get spooked by the line, they get spooked by the guy stomping around and throwing the line.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

i might have jumped into this late, but ive been away. a shorter rod is not needed but i reccomend it. being somewhat new to flyfishing, fishing brushy streams can be tedious with a long rod. i recommend a 7ft rod. cabelas has some combo rods that are around that price range. as far as breaking it....they have a 25 year warrenty.
i do highly recommend polorized sunglasses,but be careful. i wouldnt buy ones that are mirrored on the outside. we spend so much time wearing drab clothes do u want bright colors all around your eyes? now with that said, you also might not need them for some streams. brookie streams are often clear and in heavy shade. the amount of sun that gets through the dense woods can be minimal, meaning less glare. also brookies often hide in rocks,undercuts and any form of cover on the streambed and u might not see them anyways. but they do hang around the ends of pools and that is were these sunglasses come in handy. also when the sun does get through the trees you dont want your "mirrored" glasses casting a light beam at the fishes eyes!
but get polorized glasses. and go cheap....mine are a 5 dollar pair.
camo is not needed but i also recommend it. you can wear dark green,light green and brown clothes. i do wear camo sometimes....but it is not needed. if you already have some camo clothes, use them. if not you dont need to buy it.
i have seen no significant differnce in fish reaction to fly line. but get good line! dont go cheap here.
most important thing as stated before is stealth. approaching small stream trout is 90 percent of the game. good luck!

p.s. almost forgot. picking spots can be the best way to fish a small stream. in the summer larger brookies can hold in the largest holes. but dont be fooled!it is best to fish a whole stream the first few outings. find where the fish are then pick your spots. trout will move around also. by picking spots off of the bat, you may be missing out on some of the best fish and fishing in a watershed. we dont know why fish will sit where they do.....it may be under ground springs, extra food supply, or better habitat....only they know why they do what they do. we just catch them! :-D

 

[shipnfish2006]

mattd wrote:
Bass Pro has a 5ft. 3 piece 3 wt. for $99. Not to sure on the quality but I use a 5'6" ht i paid $20 for and it works fine. I rarely need to cast more than 15ft on the streams I fish.

I got this rod this year and so far I love it. The only problem Ive had so far is it seems like i need to set the hook harder then normal if the take is over 15 feet away. I would say that this is more of a specialty rod and should only be bought if you intend on doing a lot of mountain stream fishing. An 8 1/2 footer should be ok, last year I used an 8 footer and it did just fine except in streams that were so tight that they were almost impossible to fish in, thats why I purchased the 5 footer though.

 

[thedude1534]

Along with what sal said about shiney glasses, don't wear a watch, or anything that could reflect light.

 

[Wulff-Man]

I don't know if it's absolutely necessary, but I even keep my forceps in my pocket so the sun won't glint off of them. They're on a zinger and hang into a pocket.

 

[Chaz]

Get yourself a 5 wt. 7.5 foot rod, that way you'll only have to worry about getting a rod and not a whole new setup. You probably can use the 8.5 foot rod on most streams, but there are a lot of small streams you can't use it on, and the only way to be sure is to have alternatives. Many will argue that a 5 or 6 foot rod is what you need, but believe me, I don't usually fish any streams wider than about 20 feet, and there are plenty of small streams with trout in them that you will be able to fish with a 7.5 foot rod. I used to have only 1 rod and it was a 9 foot rod, used it on many small streams before I got a 7.5 footer. I've used that for everything from a jump across sream to some that are 30 feet wide.
One last thing, everyone says get a slow action rod, don't! Fast action rods set the hook better and allow for longer casts into tighter lies.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

chaz is correct. but iam partial to sloe action rods. i love the trout bum! Im just used to casting slow.

 

[jaybo41]

I say get out on the stream or streams you plan to fish and give your rod a shot. See how it performs. If you think that the length hinders your ability, pick up a new one that is more suitable. Many good suggestions given here. Going "stealth" is the best recommendation. I'd definately pick up some polarized glasses and any flies that you may need. Save the rod purchase until you've figured out whether the one you have can be used on the steams you plan on fishing.

Good luck!

 

[Chaz]

I forgot a couple of things, first polarized sunglasses are a must. You be surprised how many lies you will mist if you don't have them. And look for lies in long runs and riffles. As for line color, I use lines that are olive, I've been FFing a long time so don't have to watch my line to know where my fly is going to land, though I do most of the time anyway. I noticed a difference right away when I switched to a line that was an earth tone as opposed to rbight yellow green or orange.